Supreme Court Justices Revealed

What is a Supreme Court Justice?

The United States Supreme Court is the head of the judicial branch in both the Federal and State governments of America. The purpose of the United States Supreme Court is to ensure and fortify that laws and decisions made within the judicial system of the United States are held in alignment with the Federal and State Constitutions of America.

As is common with any institution in the United States, individuals must be employed to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the organization or entity. Those individuals within the Supreme Court are referred to as Supreme Court Justices.

Supreme Court Justices are judges who are employed by the Federal or State governments of the United States who are responsible for deciphering and ensuring the legal system of the country. The laws of the United States are meant to keep society in harmony. Each legal matter that the Supreme Court Justices uphold or review is typically delivered in relation to the United States Constitution.

The United States Supreme Court is headed by the Chief Justice of the United States. In addition to the Chief Justice, there are eight Supreme Court Justices who act as associates. All Supreme Court Justices of the United States Supreme Court are nominated by the President and subsequently appointed through confirmation awarded by the Senate. All Supreme Court Justices have life tenure and receive a salary currently set at $223,500 per year.

Duties of Supreme Court Justices

The first duty of Supreme Court Justices is to decipher what cases should be considered by the Supreme Court. As the highest court in the land, the United States Supreme Court Justices cannot evaluate all legal matters that are appealed in the country.

The United States has a complex judiciary system comprised of lower courts and jurisdictional systems. As a result of this hierarchy, United States Supreme Court Justices must effectively evaluate which cases may be heard by the most prominent court in the country.

The evaluation process coordinated by Supreme Court Justices is administered by determining whether or not the proposed legal matters or cases contain questions of Constitutional violations. That being said, almost all legal matters that come before Supreme Court Justices are appeals, meaning they were cases that were previously decided in the lower courts of the nation.

In most instances, only matters involving a Constitution are evaluated by Supreme Court Justices. These individuals, as members of the Supreme Court, possess the authority to overturn matters that were previously rendered in the lower courts.

There are, however, a few instances or legal matters where the Supreme Court Justices possess original jurisdiction. This label simply means that the Supreme Court Justices will be the first court to hear a legal matter. Before taking on this responsibility, all Supreme Court Justices must decide that the case is within their jurisdiction or involves a Constitutional equation.

List of Current Supreme Court Justices:

Antonin Scalia

Anthony Kennedy

Clarence Thomas

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Stephen Breyer

John G. Roberts

Samuel Alito

Sonia Sotomayor

Elena Kagan.

NEXT: Understanding the Supreme Court